Rare gas illuminated safety flare

Abstract

A portable, durable and rugged hand-held lighting device particularly useful as a safety flare or illumination device is described. This device utilizes a rare gas containing illumination source (e.g. a glass tube containing the rare gas) and is particularly useful in projecting light during darkness or in fog. The light source may be any of the conventional rare gas materials but neon is preferred. A fluorescent material coating the inside of the glass tube may be used enhance the output of the light from other rare gasses. The power supply for this unit may be replaceable or rechargeable batteries or the device may be connected to a permanent DC or AC power supply to enhance the life thereof. A transformer is used to increase the electrical power supply from the power supply to the glass tube and is required in order to get the high intensity light output afforded by the use of rare gas illuminating devices.

I claim: 
     
       1. A transparent, portable, hand-held high intensity safety illumination device comprising an interconnected top cylindrical housing unit and bottom cylindrical housing unit, said top housing unit comprising a hollow, cylindrical housing for a rare gas illuminating source, wherein said rare gas is taken from a group consisting of neon, argon, krtypton, and argon mixed with mercury said rare gas illuminating source having a glass tube containing said rare gas and wherein said glass tube is bent in a "U" shaped fashion with a top end and a bottom end, protective cushioning means surrounding said glass tube at both ends thereof, and wherein said bottom housing unit having a circuit means attached to said glass tube in said top unit, a power source connected with said circuit means, through a transformer means, and a switch means for activating said rare gas illuminating source through said circuit means and said power source wherein, said circuit means, said power source, said transformer means, and said switch means are fully contained within said bottom housing unit. 
     
     
       2. The device of claim 1 wherein said power supply is a rechargeable battery source and said device includes a connection point for a DC power supply. 
     
     
       3. The device of claim 1 wherein said switch means has three positions, namely on, off and preset flashing intervals. 
     
     
       4. The device of claim 1 wherein said top housing unit is a durable transparent material. 
     
     
       5. The device of claim 1 wherein said transformer unit is a multipurpose transformer unit. 
     
     
       6. The device of claim 1 wherein said power supply is replaceable. 
     
     
       7. The device of claim 1 wherein said power supply is rechargeable. 
     
     
       8. The device of claim 1 wherein said rare gas illumination material is neon.